The Daily Echo: Depressed? Two Ways to Respond. February 26, 2019

February 26, 2019

My main man Brian shares a great +1 today.
In our last +1, we talked about Michael Jordan and Carol Dweck and growth mindsets.

I mentioned the fact that when I imagined Jordan crying after missing the cut for his varsity basketball team, I thought of Carol Dweck for two reasons. Yesterday we talked about the first reason. Today I’d like to talk about the second.

First, again: Imagine Jordan missing the cut for his varsity team. Feel his heart SINK as he looked at the sheet on the wall and saw that his name was MISSING.

Of course, that shouldn’t be hard to imagine (and feel) as we’ve ALL experienced exactly that sense of despair when we failed at something super important to us. (Enter: Common humanity.)

Then, let’s follow Jordan back to his house where he locked himself in his room and CRIED. And cried. And cried. Totally devastated.

That shouldn’t be hard to imagine either as we’ve all experienced our own version of that as well, eh?

(btw: As Emerson and I were reading the Odyssey, I was struck by just how often Odysseus and his men WEPT in response to the losses they experienced and the challenges they faced. Yep. Heroes cry. A lot. It’s NOT SUPPOSED TO BE EASY!)

So…

Our young hero is devastated. Then what?

Then we come back to Carol Dweck and the point of Today’s +1.

Here’s how she puts it (in Mindset): “How do you act when you feel depressed? Do you work harder at things in your life or do you let them go? Next time you feel low, put yourself in a growth mindset—think about learning, challenging, confronting obstacles. Think about effort as a positive, constructive force, not as a big drag. Try it out.”

lifeisanecho.com is set up to be a resource for anyone looking to find joy in the journey of life. Life really is an echo. We get what we give, reap what we sow, and what we send out is what we get back. Get your daily dose of "The Daily Echo" a daily video dedicated to helping each of us find more happiness in life by doing those things that will bring us joy. Life really is an Echo!!! :)